The Penn's Grove record., 1887-07-16
AN VISITOR.

AN ANNOYING VISITOR.
Mr.. Penoyer Pevensey entered his
bachelor apartments on til Street
in a leisurely manner, carefully hung
up his hat and coat n the hallway,
and, setting outside his dripping UNI
brella, glanced about the luxuriously
furnished room with visible satlsfac.
ton. Then, drawing before the cheer
fully glowing crate an armchair, he
seated himself with one of those signs
to which one gives vent when con-
scious of having gone through some
thing d~lsagreeable, and anticipating a
quiet rest.
Mr.. Pevensey had, indeed, gone
through a very trying experience. On
that very evening, at precisely half-paSt
nine, he, a bachelor of eight-and-
twenty. and not ill-looking (Which fact
added in no small degree to his self
complacency), had proposed to the
charming Miss Emory, and was ever
now trying to regain his scattered ideas
and explain to himself how it had all
happened. One thing was certain
that from that time he was fettered,
and could no longer proudly boast of
his freedom from the gilded chains of
Hymen. Mr.. Pevensey, as he thought
of this, involuntarlly heaved another
and a deeper sigh, aud slowly shook his
head several times. 1t was plainly to
be seen that he was not IN that love-
sick condition wherein young people are
supposed to adjure food and shun sleep,
and a superficial bachelor observer,
merely knowing the fact Of his engage
ment, would have sworn that he had
been beguiled and %entrapped by means
OF those subtle arts and devices known
only to females. Be this as it may. the
fact remains that Mr.. Pevensey was in
a rather irritable mood, and, after
Illuminating on his impending fate for
half ar hour. he lighted a cigar and
opened the ssReverles of a Bachelor
with the desire to extract a few drops
Of consolation therefrom.
The rain beat dolefully against the
window. The clock. to offset this, kept
up a most pleasant ticking, and, at ill.,
tervals, an equally pleasant and melo-
dious Ginning, all of which sounds fell
upon Mr.. Pevensey's ears unheeded,
for he had gradually fallen into a
dreamy state of half consciousness.
The fire burned low, and the red-tinted
globes overhead shaded and subdued
the light, as 1t revealed the half-recum.
bent figure of the bachelor thus passing
from revery to slumber.
Patter-patter, tick-tick, patter-
"Ahempp SAID u voice at his side in
a predatory way.
Mr.. Peyensey started up and looked
about him. Close by, with his chair
tilted back and his legs stretched out
toward the blaze in a most comfortable
and degage manner, was seated a ghost
of the male persuasion-a transparent
semblauce of a man-a veritable spirit.
Mr.. Pevensey gasped and each hair
began to look about for its individual
end on which to stand. The ghost
noted these signs of trepidatlon at first
with a smile and then with a wheezy
chuckle. Finally he broke out in a
hollow cackle.
81 say, Pen, old boy" said he, as
o. as his risibilities had sufficiently
subsidized, "don't you know meP Penn
broke. you know Pembroke died last
weekl'
This was said in a husky, rattling
voice, but In the most cheerful manner
Imaginable. Mr.. Pevensey gradually
regalned his composure; his hair sub
sided, and in five minutes from the
time OF the ghosts question was able to
give an audible answer.
"Ah, yes; 0, yes, ha hal l know
you, Pembroke-yes, knew you all the
time"
mo you didn't" sad the ghost.
"You were too confoundedly fright
ened." Here he stopped to chuckle
again. "But 1 say, Pen, 1 won't hurt
you, you know"
60" said Mr.. Peyensey. ironically,
his courage by this time quite returned
-'you won'tp"
no." said the ghost. reassuringly,
ST won't. Now I'll tell you why /
came" He stopped, took from a
ghostly cigar case IA shadowy cigar, lit
1t with an invisible match. and began
to send forth volumes of ghostly smoke.
After the lfth pull lie continued:
"You have forgotten 1t, but 1
haven't. DON'T you remember one
night, twelve years ago, when we made
a VOW over a skull?n
A glance of intelligence was now dis
cernible in Mr.. Peyensey's eyes. He
was getting interested.
THAT whichever n should die first
must"
Appear to the other" finished the
ghost, nodding and blowing smoke
from his nostrils. Ergo, here l am"
II must say, Pembroke, that you
chose the worst time you possibly could
for IN interview, tonight of all others;
but then" he continued, as if excusing
Pembroke, ''you dind't know"
80, but 1 did," answered the ghost,
with difficulty keeping down a refrac-
tory ~chuckle; II happened to be there
myself"
"And saw me make an awkward
fool of myself"
well, if you want to put it that
way, l suppose l did; l was invisible
then, you know, quite invisible"
MIR. Pevensey grOaned aloud. To
make an awkward tool of ones self is
bad enough. but TO have dIsembodied
spirits acting as invisible spectators OF
ones folly is maddeHins"
'It's all right" continued the CHEST,
'I'm num-"
Don't" said Me-. Peyensey, IN "a
wheeling tone, ''dou't tell any one-l